


Crawl out through the Fallout

by GhastlyGhost



Series: Good Good neighbors (series) [1]
Category: Fallout 4
Genre: A tiny mayor, Body Horror, Drug Use, Gen, Smoking, Suicidal Thoughts, attempted familicide, i'm not used to writing any of the canon characters so i apologise beforehand
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-07-23
Updated: 2016-07-23
Packaged: 2018-07-26 03:48:58
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,350
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7558966
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GhastlyGhost/pseuds/GhastlyGhost
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After the ordeal with Vic, Luther, a ghoul mercenary, hasn’t spoken to anyone in Goodneighbor for quite a while. Eventually, he tries to connect with his new mayor through telling him of how he and his cousin became ghouls.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Crawl out through the Fallout

It was always odd being near the new mayor after what had happened with Vic. He’d known him since before he was a ghoul, since before he renamed himself to Hancock. No matter how often the man told him that formalities weren’t needed, Luther was often inclined to refer to him as Sir or Mayor instead of just going with John as he’d done before.  
He realised that he had been less than fair with how much he’d distanced himself from everyone the months after Hancock had taken over. At most, he’d take some jobs or check with Daisy what was going on. He was glad that Vic was gone, and he felt better knowing his cousin was safer now, but the world was still shit. It was hard to smile, as it had been for almost two years now. He wasn’t resilient and optimistic like his cousin, Luther was just thinking of survival and his duty to the people he was trying to protect as well as those he had already failed to protect.

Isolating one’s self rarely helped in these situations.

The mayor at times tried to ask if he was doing alright, but Luther never answered those questions truthfully no matter who asked. He’d shrug it off by either changing the subject or saying he was no worse than usual. Today was different though.

“Alright, thanks. Here’s your caps,” Hancock stated with a little nod before tossing Luther his well-earned pay. Luther caught it with ease and quickly hung it on his belt. He was just about to turn when Hancock asked him, “So, how ya been?”

“Well…” Luther paused, giving a light shrug. “I wanna die and feed myself to the dogs, so nothing new here.”  
“You too, huh?” Hancock replied with a humorless chuckle. “Figured as much.”

Luther rubbed the side of his neck. “Guess I didn’t do much to hide it.”  
Pulling a half smile, Hancock commented, “Well, you’re also just a terrible liar.”

He sat down on one of the couches in his office and casually gestured to the spot next to him.  
Luther glanced at his hand and considered saying he had things to do, but the mayor probably would know that was a lie too, so he sat down and rested his right leg over his knee.

“Ah, ya didn’t leave. That’s new. Thought I was gonna have to wrestle ya.” Hancock had a somewhat serious look about him which made Luther worry if he or his cousin had done more wrong than he knew of. Hancock noticed the concerned expression Luther pulled and raised his hand a little. “I know what you’re thinkin and it’s not that. It’s ah…” Hancock’s eyes turned to the table while he thought of how to finish that line.

Finally, he leaned back and rested an arm over the back of the couch. “Well, I know you’ve been avoiding talking to people. I understand; you got a hard time trusting others. Now I don’t wanna lecture ya, but you need to relax. Take a break or something, get out of that power armor more often. Ya feel?”

Luther huffed. “Yes, I’m sure that’s very easy,” he mumbled. A small sigh escaped his lips after that. The mayor was just trying to look out for him and he was being rude to the guy.   
“I'm…” He gestured weakly with his hands. “I’m not great at relaxing, sir. I’m better at just… keeping myself occupied.”

Hancock frowned a little bit when Luther called him sir, while he reached for some jet that was on the table in front of him. Referring to him as 'sir' was on obvious way from Luther to create some distance between them, and he couldn’t count how often he’d corrected him on being able to just use his name. Of course, he hadn’t really kept track.

“Well, that ain’t always the answer. Really, I can tell it ain’t,” he argued, after which he offered Luther a shot of jet. It was not that he thought that was the answer, but he did think it could help his friend as it had helped him temporarily forget his own problems. Luther politely declined his offer, however, and grabbed a pack of cigarettes instead.

“I never like opening up to people, so… yeah…” he mumbled as he popped a cigarette between his lips and grabbed a small gold plated flip lighter. After it was lit, he took an inhale, and rested the back of his head on the couch. He looked at the ceiling as he let the vapors rest in his mouth and lungs before letting it escape in small wisps of smoke. 

“I never told you how I ended up a ghoul,” he noted thoughtfully without looking at Hancock. “I’m not prewar, but then I’m sure you already guessed that from a lack of references and nostalgic sighs.” 

That comment netted him a genuine smile from Hancock, who replied, “well, that and your cousin just loves running his mouth all day.”

“Heh… yeah,” Luther sighed. He wasn’t sure if Hancock was smiling because his comment was actually funny of if he was smiling because he was attempting to have a conversation with him for the first time in ages, but it didn’t matter.  
Hancock took a bit of his jet and relaxed his shoulders. “So, what’s your story, big guy?”  
Luther shrugged. “Nothin’ special, but I guess I’ll tell ya.”

—-

“Sal, no. I’m not doin’ it. I’m not joinin’ a gang…” Luther declared while maintaining an old shotgun, his lips pressing into a crooked line when he finished speaking.

Sal stood next to him and leaned into him, her big frown crinkling a scar on her right cheek. “Why not?”  
“Why not?” Luther repeated as he wiped some gunk off the gun’s barrel with a dirty cloth. “It just feels like it might go somewhere bad and I don’t wanna get anyone in trouble.”

“Lu.” Sal pressed her hand onto his shoulder, making him pause his work for a sec. “We can make a lot more money by going with the guys. We can travel,” she stated, gesturing with her other hand. “Aren’t you tired of sticking in one place all the time?”  
Luther stared at the work bench in silence, then wiped his hands with the same cloth he’d used on the gun, leaving them smudged with oil and gunpowder. 

“Rich already joined them. At least give it a try,” Sal insisted. “I don’t wanna do this without you, Lu. You’re my brother.”  
“I guess…” Luther crinkled his nose while he leaned against the workbench with one hand in his side. “…my family could use some more income.”

The moment he said that, Sal smiled from ear to ear and gave his shoulder a squeeze, prompting Luther to smile back at her. “You can collect parts for your cousin’s little experiments, too.”

—-

“A gang, huh?”   
Hancock looked at a window across the room, then turned his face to Luther. His brows were furrowed, questioningly.  
“Yeah. I was a real idiot… Don’t know what I was expecting,” Luther admitted, resting his elbows on his legs and shaking his head in disapproval of his own life choices. “At first, things were simple. Just going through abandoned areas like a bunch of scavvers. There were the occasional raiders, but then… things started getting worse and worse, until…”

—-

Luther and Sal walked next to each other, following behind one of their older gang members, the wet ground squelching under their thick boots.  
“So we really found Rich?” Luther asked, a little enthusiastic about seeing his old pal again.  
“I sure hope so; I was worried sick,” Sal replied.  
“So if were just getting him,” Luther carefully started, “why does boss here need us and the others along?”   
Sal shrugged. “Maybe he’s in trouble.”  
That answer made no sense to Luther. “We’re going to a farm though.”  
Sal furrowed her brows. “And your point is?”  
“Farms aren’t exactly-”  
“Quiet back there,” one of the other gunmen interrupted. “You can chat when we’re done.”

Rude, Luther thought, they weren’t even being that loud. Sal quickly turned her face front, while Luther rolled his eyes after which he proceeded to look ahead, and they walked after their superior into the only building in the area.   
Inside, he settlers were crouched on the ground while two gunmen held them in check. Their eyes darted to Luther and Sal, who both had their eyes on the gunmen guarding them. Luther couldn’t help noticing one of the settlers, who was tearing up. She didn’t look a day over fourteen. The uneasy feeling he had about this grew. This was not going to end well, and he knew it.

“Alright, Rich,” the boss shouted, causing all eyes to be drawn to him, “I’m here to collect!”  
It was quiet. Such a quiet where one could hear a rat piss on cotton. It was clear that Rich was indeed in trouble, but not in the way Sal had suggested. Luther swallowed and shuffled uncomfortably.

“I know you’re in here,” the boss growled after a few seconds. “Ya don’t show your face, we’ll blow this place into the ground with everyone in it.”  
That threat did the trick. A man with messy brown hair appeared from one of the rooms with his hands up and his head held low.  
“There ya are,” the boss laughed. “So, about the money.”  
“I-I don’t have it,” Rich promptly replied while one of the gang members paced over to him and got him down on his knees.

“Really, Richie?” The boss started to step back and forth with a huge grimace plastered onto his face. That usually meant that a lecture was coming. “We gave you a full week extra to collect the funds and you fucking ran. Give me the caps, or…” He grinned and tapped the revolver strapped to his side in such a way that Rich had a clear view of it.   
“You’re costing us more than you’re worth, pal.”

“Look… I’m- I’m sorry.” Rich’s eyes darted anxiously over the ground. After gathering his nerves, he lifted his face to meet the boss’ eyes. “Just, please, I didn’t mean to get these people involved. Let them go, alright?”  
The boss smiled and snorted. In one quick movement, he’d unholstered his gun and pressed the barrel to Rich’s head.  
“Come on, Rich. You know I ain’t one for making promises.”

Luther swallowed once more and tightened the grip on his gun while he helplessly watched the scene unfold. His mind was full of questions and full of doubt. Why did they take him and Sal along for this? They were friends of this man. Were they testing them? Did Rich actually do anything wrong? Was he really going to kill him? He probably was, but, somewhere, Luther hoped this was just one big trick or a joke.

As the boss cocked his gun, Luther’s heart sped up and he subconsciously raised his own gun a bit. Suddenly, another gang member barged in, prompting the boss to look back and interrupting the execution. 

“People’re coming at us, boss!” The guy shouted.  
“What? Who?”  
“Those…” he struggled to find the words, and finally settled on, “…minute guys.”  
“God dammit,” the boss hissed, yanking his gun back to his side. He turned around to get to the door and gestured to Sal. “Alright, girl, with me.” Then he gestured to Luther. “You, stay over there and make sure our friend doesn’t leave.”  
Before exiting, he glared at Rich. “I’ll be dealing with you later.”

Once he left, all was silent, save for the occasional sound of gunfire from those who stuck close to the shack. Luther let out a soft sigh of relief. Some of the tension was gone, but the issue still remained; soon, the fight would probably be over and they’d be right back at it, he’d have to see one of his friends at the wrong end of a barrel again.  
Luther stood quietly, his somewhat distressed look hidden by a helmet while he kept his arms stifly by his sides and his gun just above his belt.

“Come on, man. You gotta help us,” Rich pleaded to Luther, not knowing who he was, but recognising how hesitant his stance was. “I don’t… I know I fucked up, but these people ain’t got nothing to do with this.”  
“Shut up,” the guard next to him said as they gave him a light nudge.  
“That guy is gonna kill everyone here. I’ve seen him do it before,” he cried. “It’s why I left.”  
He left? That explained a lot, although Luther had not been aware of how cruel some of the gang members were. Some of the lower ranking guys were a bit harsh, but the big guys were usually not so bad. Or maybe he just didn’t want to believe such assholes could get into a position of power.  
“I told ya ta shut up,” the guard grumbled, nudging Rich harder this time.  
“But I-”  
“Alright.” The guard paced to the lineup of settlers and grabbed the youngest one. It was the girl Luther had noticed was crying. She let out a little squeak when she was yanked up. Her father tried to get up, but he was quickly intimidated back to his knees by one of the other guards with threat of a bullet to the face.

“Ya keep talkin’ an’ I kill this bitch,” Rich’s guard threatened, pointing their gun to the side of the girl’s head.  
Rich looked at Luther on the verge of tears, causing him to tighten his grip on his weapon again.  
“Dude, let her go…” Luther mumbled, just loud enough for the guard to hear.  
“What was that?” the guard asked, tightening his grip on the girl and lifting her closer to his gun.  
Luther moved his finger to the trigger and stood a bit taller. “Let her go,” Luther repeated.  
“Oh, I’m sorry,” the guard said mockingly, raising the hand he held his gun in, “I didn’t know you were in charge.”  
Luther shook his head while shifting his weight from one leg to another. “Guy, seriously. She’s just a kid.”  
“Oh my god.” The guard laughed. “She’s a random farmer. Why the heck do you care?”  
“She’s just…” Luther shook his shoulders anxiously while still maintaining his strong posture and slowly turning his gun on Rich’s guard. “Let her go, now.”

The guard stared at Luther full of amusement, then tossed the girl to the ground and readied his weapon.   
“Alright, I let her go.”

He stomped towards her and stepped over her, but before he could do anything else, Luther shot him in the arm. The guard cried out and stumbled over, dropping his weapon near Rich’s knees. His allies quickly raised their guns, and in what seemed like a split second to Luther, he had shot the second guard and Rich had picked up the first one’s gun with which he shot the last in the head. Luther stood in shock while Rich helped the girl he’d saved up. It took Rich staring right back at him, while the girl’s mother ran over to hug her child, to snap him out of it. He paced to the other weapons and picked them up for the settlers to use.

“Aight. If there’s any weapons in here, I suggest getting them,” Luther finally stated.  
One of the young men had that covered, and Rich pulled a weak smile.   
“We should go out back,” Luther quickly suggested when Rich went to check the front door, “The boss had most people at the front.”

The other settlers stood up, nervous eyes darting from the bodies to Luther and Rich, while the young man returned with enough weapons and tools that could be used as weapons for everyone. After that, the young man headed for the back entrance. “This way.”

“Nice to see you still know how to shoot straight, Rich,” Luther commented while following the settlers in a much more confident stride than he had before.  
“I…” Rich seemed taken aback. “Thank you.”  
“You can thank me once we’re safe.”

Once outside, the gunfire could be heard clearly in the background. Luther had the two eldest and armed settlers take the lead while he and Rich made sure no one got shot in the back. Most of the gang was indeed still in the front, having only left two people sniping in the back. Rich quickly spotted the first and shot them. Luther took down the second, although it took more shots than he’d liked.

“Keep going until you can’t hear the fighting,” Luther shouted to the settlers in front.  
They nodded and quickly escorted their people away from the fight. In the meantime, Luther would head back to assist the Minutemen. Rich briefly halted when he did so, expecting him to follow, wanting him to follow. He had figured out who this was by now, and he knew how Luther worked, so he should have known he would go back. 

“I’m going with you,” he stated.  
“No,” Luther protested, only turning his head a little to the side, “You need to stay back to protect these people in case-”  
“We have more of a chance together, Lu,” Rich argued back.  
There was a pause in which the two just looked at each other, but then Luther just nodded and continued back to the fray while Rich followed.

By the time they got to the battle, only four gang members were left and the boss was cussing furiously while trying to hold his ground. Once they heard gunfire from behind, he turned his head to the side and saw one of his guys get shot in the arm.

Another gang member came out of the house after having checked for reinforcement, holding one of the guards with their arm over his shoulder.

“Boss, the guys inside are down,” he cried.  
“What? Shit,” the boss shouted back. After some deliberation, he added, “Retreat,” prompting everyone to try and scamper away. The one who had checked the house dropped the guard like a sack of potatoes and fled as quickly as his thin legs could carry him.

Luther was glad that most of the battle was over just from what they’d done inside. He didn’t know how much more of this he could have taken. He looked at Rich, who in turn nodded and left to get the settlers. The Minutemen tended to their injured and the group’s own boss checked to make sure all the gang members were dead as he approached Luther.  
“Thank you for the help,” the man said with a tired smile.

“Uh… yeah…” Luther muttered as he rolled his shoulders and turned to where he’d sent Rich. “My friend left to get the…”  
Before he could finish his sentence, Rich was already visible in the distance with the settlers behind him.  
“Ah, we’ll take care of them from here,” the Minuteman stated, patting Luther on the shoulder. “You… one of the raiders?”  
Luther thought on the question and shook his head. “Not anymore.”  
He jumped a little when he felt Rich’s hand on his back. “We should go,” he uttered near to his ear.  
Luther furrowed his brow and Rich added, “They know who your family is…”

Shit. Luther’s eyes went wide, and Rich goaded him forward, telling the Minuteman that he and Luther needed to get somewhere quickly.

Soon, they were pacing, then they were running, not saying a word the whole way. Luther had his gun at the ready, prepared to shoot at anyone who tried to catch them by surprise. They got to where Luther lived rather quickly, but saw that the boss and a few others were waiting there for them. Luther raised his weapon and was about to engage them, but then his eyes fell on the members of his family that were already dragged out of the house and put on their knees.  
Immediately, he got down and surrendered, thinking that the gang would go easy on his family if they got hold of him without a fight. Rich’s eyes darted from the gang to Luther, and he hesitated to stand down, but eventually he also went on his knees.

The boss snorted. “Not so much of a fighter, now, huh?” He shook his head. “I’m a little disappointed. Thought I was gonna get to break you.”

With one hand, he commanded two of his men to take Luther and Rich’s weapons and bring the two men over.  
“Alright. I can work with this. I’ll go easy on ya.” Telling from the boss’ face, that was far from true. Luther remained quiet though, since the more he talked the more time he had to try and figure out an escape plan. “I know a nice punishment. We’ll just lock you guys up for a bit.”

Luther furrowed his brows. That seemed awfully mild for someone who was about to wipe out an uninvolved settlement not too long ago.

The man snorted at Luther’s apparent confusion, and then gestured for his men to guide everyone after him. The one behind Luther got out a belt and put it around his wrists to keep him from being able to fight.  
“Now, your girlfriend thinks you died in that fight with the Minutemen,” the boss stated as they walked along. “We gave her some time to grieve. Nice of me, huh?”

Luther didn’t respond. He could see his cousin silently weighing their options. He didn’t know how bad this guy was though. Neither did Luther, not really.

It was a long walk with a lot of nothing and no opportunity to flee, and they eventually made it to what seemed like a factory. Luther already guessed that this would be their accommodation. Why he’d chosen this of all places was beyond him, but he felt a growing concern that this was not going to be a simple lock up.

The exterior was of the typical dark gray color and was obviously worn from all the years it stood after the war. It had been so long that plants had started to grow over it and the metal was so rusted that some parts had fallen off.  
When they were inside, Luther was hit with the most awful stench. Where it came from was a wonder, but one could see gang members and captives alike scrunch their noses in distaste. Even Ender, and he has worked of many a less than fragrant project before this.

They went deeper and deeper into the dark and damp complex. The building made low creaking and whistling noises as the wind brew through the various cracks in the walls. They walked past a few seemingly abandoned piles of dirt that were likely dug up by molerats. Every step of the way, there was the echo of their footsteps and the occasional splashing from a puddle, until they made it to a security door. One of the gang members opened it and the boss crossed his arms with a wide grin on his face.

“Welcome to your new home, you guys,” he stated after which Luther, his family, and Rich were all tossed in at once.  
“You’ll have plenty of time to get used to it,” the boss stated. He turned around and gestured for the rest of his men to come with. “Close the door and let’s get out of here,” 

Some of the gang quickly threw some rad-X and Radaway into the room. Luther didn’t know why they did so until the door started to close and he noticed the odd taste in his mouth followed by him noticing the vats of radioactive material.  
Luther’s heart sank. He lunged at the door, cussing under his breath, but the thing wouldn’t budge. Still, knowing it wouldn’t help, he kept on going. He knew now what the boss’ intentions were. He’d let all of them die slowly and painfully, or have them become ghouls.

Eventually, his cousin got up and took him by the arm. It calmed him a little. It was enough for the rage that had built inside him to make way for a sense of dread. He’d caused this. It was his fault that everyone was in this mess. The door was locked, and they had no way out.

“Cousin. We gotta think,” Ender stated. “There’s a terminal in here, maybe I can crack it.”  
While he said that, his dad was looking around the room if there were precise explosives to use on the door. Luther’s mom pulled out a small pocket knife and started to pry at the door while Rich tried to help her. It was no use. It was far too strong to just pry open like it was made of wood.

All the while Luther was still frozen in place, staring blankly ahead.

Suddenly, the lights went out, leaving only the glow of the terminal. That was enough to snap Luther out of his state of shock. After the first attempt at hacking his way out, Ender had not managed to get through; he was a builder, not a hacker.

However, he was determined to get his family out of there and kept at it. Luther’s mom and Ender’s dad were growing visibly weaker by the minute as the radiation took effect. Luther’s mom had pulled him aside and held him gently in her arms, but she said nothing. The silence hurt, and the occasional drop of water that would come falling from the ceiling only served to remind Luther of where he was even after closing his eyes as tightly as he could while fighting back the tears.

Finally, after at least ten tries, Ender had managed to crack the terminal and open the door. Everyone was weak by now, but the young men were determined to get everyone out and thus Luther carried his mother while Ender and his dad used each other as support. The chems they’d been given had helped a bit. Luther was sure they’d have died by now, if not for those, and he felt a begrudging gratitude for those who gave them to him.

Climbing up the stairs in the building was difficult, even with Rich trying to help him. With each step they feared that something would break, be it one of them or the building. It felt like hours, but they made it out. The trip to the door and onto the road was little more than a haze to Luther.

Now they just needed to wait and see if they’d survive this.

The radiation had taken its toll. Everyone was weak.   
Luther and Rich were certain that they were dying, but Ender strongly disagreed.

“We’re not dying,” he stated. Luther was astonished by how calm Ender was being through all of this. Of course, that was just what he was showing on the outside. “We’re not dying…”  
Whether he knew for sure, or if he was just saying what he was hoping for, he didn’t know, but the fact that he sounded so certain somehow made Luther feel less anxious. Not by much, but at least it gave him hope.

After some rest and having rummaged around the area as best he could, Ender had found some stim packs, which he suggested they use once their skin started breaking and sliding off.

“I’m curious if this could reduce the damage of the ghoulification process,” Ender simply argued when questioned about the timing of the stim use. He had set his mind on the possibility of them becoming ghouls, the moment he noticed that he and his cousin were faring rather well, all things considered.

“What about- ?” Luther asked, to which Ender replied with a sad shake of the head.  
“They’re already gone.” When Ender saw Luther’s distressed look, he quickly added, “We could wait to see if they get better though.”

Both of them knew that wasn’t going to happen, but neither thought they could live with the guilt of leaving the ones who raised them behind without at least giving them a chance.  
“How do you know for sure that we’re not-“  
“Cousin,” Ender snapped, “We’re going to live, I know it. Trust me.”

It was a grueling process. The skin sliding off along with various facial features, feeling the necrosis take hold while the body tried as hard as possible to heal it as fast as it still could at that point. Oddly enough, it didn’t hurt; they were numb to it, and so it was simply quite uncomfortable. Ender had already lost all of his hair, as had Rich and Ender’s father. None of them had a nose by now and Rich’s eyes hadn’t changed much from when they had swollen from the initial exposure. Luther and Ender’s eyes had gone much darker than before though. Luther’s mom hadn’t gotten any better; she’d already lost the ability to communicate in more than just gurgles and growls, and Ender’s father seemed to be headed that way, as well. They were obviously going feral, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.

The young men were about ready to give up on the others, but none could find it in themselves to kill them. They waited, and, eventually, Rich’s condition deteriorated as well. Only Luther and Ender looked somewhat well, but the others were not hostile to them. Of course they weren’t; they were all ghouls in their eyes.

They had followed them all the way back to their house, but it was too late for them, now.

Luther sat, defeated, as he watched his mother shamble about.  
“Cousin, we need to go,” Ender uttered while he looked at his father.  
“They’ll attack any human who passes, if we leave them like this.”  
“I know…”

Ender contemplated using a metal pipe he had found, but it was still too much.   
He stood up and turned his face to his cousin.  
“We’ll lock them in, for now.”  
Luther blinked up at him, and quickly got up when Ender placed a hand on his arm. 

“We should look for mom,” Ender stated, “She should have been here, by now.”  
Together, they left that place. They barred the doors, and left it far behind them.

The ghoulification was mostly complete, as far as they could tell, and they were feeling a lot better, physically, so they left. If the gang had not found Ender’s mom, they had to make sure they never would. They would find her, and head east, to Diamond City. They would be able to start over, there.

—-

“So that’s how it went down. We found my aunt, who had been delayed on her travels, and went to Diamond City,” Luther mused after having taken another whiff of his cigarette. “I think we were in Diamond city for a year or so before that shit with your brother.” Somehow, he felt oddly at ease. “I appreciate what you did,” he added, “but we were kinda worried about your scrawny ass.” 

Hancock pulled a crooked frown. “Hey, I can handle myself.”

“Oh, no doubt about that. Not any more, at least,” Luther assured with one hand raised. He lowered it again and tapped his cigarette on an ashtray by his feet. “Sometimes, I still can hardly recognise you through this new look.”

There was a moment of silence in which both men stared at the wall on the other end of the room.

“I’m sorry I walked away all those years ago,“ Luther mumbled softly. "I could have done something…”

Hancock slowly turned his eyes on Luther, taking a moment to figure out what he meant. Once he knew, he raised his shoulders. "You were there when I asked. More than I can say about some people.”

“Honestly, John…" Luther leaned his arms on his legs while hanging his head, his hair hanging down over his shoulder and blocking the view of a sad frown. “You shouldn’t have had to ask.”

**Author's Note:**

> An attempt was made. Writing is hard.


End file.
